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Top 15 Most Undeserving WWE Hall of Famers

The WWE Hall of Fame was created in 1993, as the company wanted to have a place to honor wrestlers for their achievements in the world of wrestling. While there are other existing wrestling Hall of Fames around the world, it’s hard to ignore how big the WWE Hall of Fame is simply because World Wrestling Entertainment is the biggest wrestling company in the world.

While it started in 1993 with just one wrestler placed into the Hall (Andre the Giant, who had passed away in February 1993), the company did induct wrestlers into the Hall from 1993 to 1996, but then stopped again until 2004.

That year, the company basically launched the event again, and with WrestleMania XX that year in Madison Square Garden, they had a ceremony for the event, which took place the night before Mania. Since that year, fans have had the chance to be a part of the event, with tickets being sold and the event being held in arenas close to where WrestleMania is being held.

This past year the event was held at the SAP Center of San Jose, close to where WrestleMania 31 was held at Levis Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers. Since the Hall of Fame began, there has been 95 individuals placed in the Hall, along with nine groups, eight celebrities, and one fan.

While most in the Hall are more than deserving, fans frequently debate which wrestlers don’t actually deserve the distinction, and that’s the topic we will tackle today.

Today we present the ‘Top 15 Most Undeserving WWE Hall of Famers’ and give our take as to why these 15 should not have been given the honor of the Hall.

*We could've just put all the celebrities on this list, so we decided to just put the one we felt was least deserving.

15 “Bullet” Bob Armstrong – Class of 2011

via catch--4ever.skyrock.com

When the WWE announced that “Bullet” Bob was going into the Hall of Fame in 2011, many were not all that aware of his career. Armstrong was a title holder numerous times throughout the Southeastern United States, and may be most known for his offspring, as his four sons, Joseph, Robert, Steve and Brian (known more as Road Dogg) all were mat warriors. While ‘Bullet’ Bob had a solid career, he didn’t have a strong enough resume to earn a place in the WWE Hall of Fame.

14 “Baron” Mikel Scicluna – Class of 1996

via thewrestlingrevolution.com

Scicluna was a Maltese pro wrestler who was mostly prominent during the 1960s and 1970s. He did have a run in the WWWF, when he was a one-time WWWF World Tag Team Champion, as well as a WWWF US Tag Team Champion. He had a 30-year career from 1953 to 1983, but at the same time ,his popularity was at a time when wrestling was mostly known for VFW Halls and gyms. His lack of titles in major promotions makes him a confusing choice for the Hall of Fame.

13 Yokozuna – Class of 2012

via wrestlingmedia.org

This Samoan monster got national fame in the WWE when he came in and took on the look of a Sumo star, managed by another Hall of Famer in Mr.Fuji. Yoko was given a push to the top and it wasn’t hard to believe with his size and agility. He won the WWE Championship twice and was also a two-time tag champ. His first title run as champ was only about three minutes, as he was beaten in a poorly booked ending to WrestleMania IX by Hulk Hogan just moments after he won the belt. The problem with him in the Hall is he seemed to have issues with staying in the company due to his extreme weight and based on the accomplishments of some of the other ‘giants’ in the company throughout the years, Yoko doesn’t deserve the spot.

12 “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas – Class of 2006

via famousdude.com

Atlas readily admits his career was ‘too much, too soon,’ and while he could have been one of the biggest stars in the company, he fell short due to his issues outside the ring. Atlas was a one-time WWE Tag Team Champion, winning it with ‘Soulman’ Rocky Johnson. The WWE wanted to give Atlas a run with the Intercontinental belt, but he blew it, as a substance abuse problem led to him missing dates and becoming unreliable. He did have runs as a manager in ECW, but overall never reached the potential he should have and therefore shouldn’t have a spot in the Hall.

11 Abdullah the Butcher – Class of 2011

via foxsports.com

It's somewhat troubling when they put wrestlers into the Hall who have never wrestled in the WWE and Abdullah the Butcher falls into this category. He made his living as a hardcore legend, using weapons and his famous fork that would easily cut opponents open. The Butcher’s most famous feud was in Texas with Bruiser Brody, and the two put their bodies on the line in a number of their bouts. While The Butcher is a famous star, he just doesn’t seem to have been a big enough star to earn a spot in the Hall. As more of an attraction than a mainstay, this is a guy who doesn’t belong.

10 Nikolai Volkoff – Class of 2005

via eyeonannapolis.net

Volkoff (actually Josip Peruzović from Croatia), played a villain from Russia and for a short time was one of the hottest heels in the company along with his tag partner – the Iron Sheik. Volkoff was a WWE Tag Champ with Sheik, who he won the belts with at the first WrestleMania. Other than reaching the top of the tag division with Sheik, the resume of Volkoff isn’t as distinguished as a lot of the other wrestlers that are in the Hall (like Iron Sheik), and therefore he shouldn’t be in.

9 “Cowboy” Bob Orton – Class of 2005

via onlineworldofwrestling.com

Orton went into the Hall alongside a star-studded class that included Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper, who Orton was the ‘bodyguard’ for during Piper’s monster heel run in the WWE. Orton was never given a belt in WWE and most of his time on-screen was spent with his arms crossed behind Piper, who was the real mouthpiece of the two. Orton did hold a number of smaller titles around the United States, and while he was recognizable with Piper around, there’s a number of other wrestlers that deserve the honor over Orton.

8 Johnny Rodz – Class of 1996

via officialfan.proboards.com

Rodz had a two decade run in the ring, but if you remember him winning a big match in those 20 years, please raise your hand. While Rodz had a long career, he was known mostly for being a ‘jobber’ (for the uninitiated, a guy that never won). While that’s not his fault, those guys usually don’t make you think of the Hall of Fame. In the case of Rodz, he’s probably in the Hall more for his contributions with his long running wrestling school, which is fine, but really isn’t enough for a bust as one of the best ever.

7 Rikishi – Class of 2015

via bleacherreport.com

Sorry big man, but taking your big behind and shoving it in the face of your opponents isn’t quite enough for a bust in the Hall. Nevertheless, the WWE decided this past year to put in Rikishi, after a nine-year run in the WWE with a plethora of gimmicks. His most popular was as Rikishi, teaming up with Scotty 2 Hotty and Grand Master Sexay in the tag team known as ‘Too Cool.’ He did win the IC belt and tag belts with Scotty for a hot minute, but was never a permanent main event talent in the WWE, and really the words ‘Hall of Fame’ just don’t seem to suit this big man.

6 “Soulman” Rocky Johnson – Class of 2008

via pixshark.com

The father of the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, The Rock, the ‘Soulman’ was placed in the Hall in 2008 and it felt forced, with The Rock doing the induction speech. It was the first time we had seen The Rock in WWE for some time, and while the fans ate it up, did Rocky Johnson really deserve to be placed in the Hall? He did win a tag title with Tony Atlas, but didn’t have the lasting impact his son has had and overall it seemed like if it were not for Dwayne Johnson, his dad wouldn’t be a member of the Hall.

5 Drew Carey – Class of 2011

via wwehalloffameblog.com

There’s been plenty of debate about the ‘Celebrity’ wing of the WWE Hall of Fame, and while we have no issues with the likes of Mr.T and Pete Rose going in, Drew Carey really wasn't a part of the company for long enough to be in the Hall. The Cleveland, Ohio native had one memorable Royal Rumble moment in 2011, where he eliminated himself after Kane hit the ring. Other than a few appearances on RAW that frankly not many can remember, there’s not much reason for him to have a bust in the Hall, especially considering more influential celebs like Cyndi Lauper (no joke) haven't made it in yet.

4 “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan – Class of 2011

via wrestlingrumors.net

Led by his famous catchphrase of ‘Hoooo,’ the WWE inducted this big man into the Hall in 2011. The Glens Falls native joined the WWE in 1987 and took on the ‘USA’ character, feuding with the likes of The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff. It was an out of the ring incident that caught the mainstream media, with Duggan getting arrested for driving under the influence of illegal substances and alcohol. He made it back to the company, but always seemed to be a mid-card guy at best. He’s on the fringe, but still the Hall seems like a stretch for Duggan.

3 "Big" John Studd – Class of 2004

via catch-france.fr

This giant of a man was the main foe of Andre the Giant back in the 1980s, facing him in a ‘body slam’ challenge match at the first WrestleMania. He also was an opponent for Hulk Hogan early in his title reign through 1986. Studd though flopped as a face after a two-year retirement upon his return in 1988 and his second feud with Andre was downright awful, with the matches plodding along between two guys way past their prime. Sadly, Studd passed away in 1995 from Hodgkin’s disease. His WWE run was memorable, but again wasn’t worth a Hall of Fame plaque.

2 The Bushwackers – Class of 2015

via catch-americain.wifeo.com

They were the favorites of many at the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame for their endearing and funny speech, but was it earned? Luke Williams and Butch Miller were basically cartoon characters when they got to the WWE back in 1989, licking anyone in their way and doing their famous exaggerated arm movements, which the tag team had a number of other Hall of Famers do during their speech. They had a long run in the ring, but it was void of any mainstream titles in the WWE or even WCW, which is amazing based on how many perceived them. A great team, but not Hall worthy.

1 Koko B. Ware – Class of 2009

via memphisport.com

The most head scratching WWE Hall of Fame choice has to be ‘the Birdman’ Koko B. Ware, who was placed in the Hall in 2009. He was a mid-card guy at best, who had a bird with him (Frankie) that was at times more popular than he was. Koko’s inductor was the Honkey Tonk Man, who has more reason to be in the Hall than Koko. He never won a major title in WWE, and if you look at his titles through various stops, none of them standout as Hall worthy. In the end, Koko being in the Hall makes it obvious there’s some in there that clearly don’t deserve it, while others do.